Poultry loading apparatus

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for loading poultry into compartments or coops in which a main conveyor section delivers poultry to a point adjacent the door of the compartment or coop and a retractable and extensible telescopic conveyor extension delivers the poultry first to the rear of the compartment or coop and then progressively outwardly toward the door as the compartment or coop is filled with poultry. The retractable and extensible conveyor operates on at least two planes different from the plane of the main conveyor section. The conveyor sections are preferably of the continuous belt type, and the belt is continuous from the main section to and throughout the extension section. The main conveyor section has a relatively rigid frame, and the extension section has a retractable and extensible section which may be tilted angularly with respect to the main section to permit effective positioning of the extension section in a compartment or coop. The apparatus also includes a control station movable independently of the conveyors during the poultry loading operation.

[ 1 Mar. 27, 1973 United States Patent 1 Weldy et al.

ABSTRACT [54] POULTRY LOADING APPARATUS Inventors' izz sa g gf g8: Anapparatus for loading poultry into compartments both of Goshen Imi 46526or coops in wh ch a mam conveyor section delivers poultry to a point adacent the door of the compart- Mar. 11, 1971 ment or coop and aretractable and extensible telescopic conveyor extension delivers thepoultry first to the rear of the compartment or coop and then [22]Filed:

[21] Appl. No.: 123,211

progressively outwardly toward the door as the compartment or coop isfilled with poultry. The retractable and extensible conveyor operates onat least two 90 N H9 002 m 0 MA 9 4 G QMt Um 1] 21 55 [58] Field ofSearch 19/82 planes different from the plane of the main conveyorsection. The conveyor sections are preferably of the continuous belttype, and the belt is continuous from [56] References Cited .....ll9/82X ...l98/l39 X S T m N m E m M u u u m m P mm 3 m m m m r n T .m w 6 6Lvbmmah e Ammo wm T umoou h S HZJNHBWB D E 97857793 T 656 1566 1199999999 N HHHHHHHH U 264 778 1 1 9064783 4007 8 6 05977920 2 0034950 ,J323 233 Primary ExaminerAntonio F. Guida Assistant Examiner-James H.Czerwonky 13 Chums 13 Drawmg figures Att0rneyMarmaduke A. Hobbs, MauriceW. Green and Kemon, Palmer & Estabrook PATENTEUmzmra 3122,47?

SHEEI 10F a INVENTOR LEI/0N WELD) 01. EN rams/ ATTORNEYS PATENTEUHARNIQB3,722,477

SHEET 2 OF 6 I N VEN TORS LEVO/V many 04 EN r005 J}? Mam A T TORNEYSPATENTEDMARmlm 3,722,477

SHEET 3 0F 6 q- INVENTORS 9. AEVO/V WELD) BY OLE/V QJE 4M f/zumATTORNEYS PATENTEDHARZHQYS SHEET 5 BF 6 INVENTOR. LEI/0N WELD) OLEN mazeATTORNEYS PATENTEURARN I975 SHEET 6 OF 6 S m 1 m v N I 04 EN YODER 7,444s m LEVON WELD) A T 101mg '5 POULTRY LOADING APPARATUS In large turkeyfarm operations, the birds ready for the market are loaded in a seriesof vertically and horizontally arranged compartments or coops havingdoors opening along the sides of the truck for receiving the live birds.There are several types of commercial turkey loaders which utilizeconveyors for lifting the turkeys from ground level to the level of eachcompartment being filled, where the birds are transferred from theconveyor to the compartment. In some types of loaders the turkeys mustbe transferred by hand from the conveyor to the compartments and pushedinwardly toward the rear of the compartment until the compartment isfilled. In other types of loaders the birds are delivered directly tothe door'of the compartment and discharged into the compartment, but theturkeys tend to pile up at the entrance and must be pushed either byhand or by the incoming turkeys to the rear of the compartment as thecompartment fills. Both the handling of the birds to transfer from theconveyor to the compartment and the pushing of birds to the rear of thecompartment often result in bruising or other injury to the birds, aswell as causing fright which may result in further injury to the birds.It is therefore one of the principal objects of the present invention toprovide a poultry loading apparatus which conveys the birds from groundlevel to the compartment and then discharges the birds into thecompartment, initially to the rear, and then progressively outwardly asthe compartment is filled with the birds, and which performs thecompartment filling operation without any handling or pushing of thebirds at the discharge end of the conveyor.

Another object of the invention is to provide a poultry loadingapparatus which includes an extensible and retractable conveyor sectionadapted to extend into the compartment near the rear side thereof and toretract therefrom as the compartment is filled without moving theapparatus from its loading position for any particular compartment, andwhich can be readily elevated to various compartment filling positionswhen the section is in its retracted position.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a poultry loadingapparatus of the aforementioned type which can easily be controlled'byan operator from a station near the discharge end of the conveyorapparatus to elevate the conveyor, and to extend and retract the sectionprojecting into the compartments.

A further object is to provide a poultry loader which can be readilyutilized under various conditions to perform the bird loading operationwith a minimum of injury to the birds, and which can be easilytransported from one operation to another.

Additional objects and advantages of the invention will become apparentfrom the following description and accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the present poultry loading apparatus;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the apparatus, showing it inoperating position;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the loader apparatus showing it inits folded position for transporting from one location to another;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary enlarged elevational view similar to that shownin FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is an elevational view of the right hand .end of the apparatus asseen in the preceding figures;

FIGS. 6 and 7 are enlarged, fragmentary cross sectional views of theapparatus, the sections being taken on line 66 of FIG. 5, illustratingthe manner in which the apparatus operates in filling a compartment orcoop, the latter also being shown in cross section.

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary elevational view of the side of the apparatusopposite that shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary elevational view of the end of the apparatus onthe left hand side as seen in FIGS. 2 and 3;

FIG. 10 is an enlarged cross sectional view taken on line 10 l0 ofFIG.7;

FIG. 11 is an enlarged cross sectional view taken on line 11-11 ofFIG.7;

FIG. 12 is a fragmentary perspective view of the portion of theapparatus illustrated in FIG. 10; and

FIG. 13 is an enlarged fragmentary view showing a detail of a portion ofthe apparatus illustrated in FIG. 12, the section being taken on line13-13 of the latter figure.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, numeral 10 indicatesgenerally the present poultry loading apparatus, FIGS. 1 and 2illustrating the apparatus in its operating position. The apparatus isdesigned to transport poultry, such as turkeys, from ground level tocoops or compartments C, illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7, mounted on atruck and having doors along the sides of the truck for receiving theturkeys, for example. The apparatus is positioned to deliver the turkeysto the compartments at different elevations and along differentlongitudinal positions of the truck. The compartments are conventionalin construction and design and will not be described in further detailherein.

The apparatus includes a main frame 20 having side members 22 and 24 andcross members 26, 28 and 29 forming a rigid frame structure. The frameis mounted on an undercarriage, the one shown having two wheels 30 and32 on axle 34. The main conveyor of the apparatus is indicated bynumeral 40, and is enclosed in a chute 42 extending in operatingposition from a position near the ground to the approximate position ofthe compartment being loaded, but spaced therefrom. The chute isgenerally rectangular in cross section, and is preferably tapered fromthe inlet end 44 to the discharge end 46. The conveyor 40 consists of acontinuous belt 50 trained at the lower end on a roller 52 and driven bya hydraulic motor 54 through chain and sprocket assembly 56. The lowerend of chute 42 is supported by arms 47 and 48 connected to framemembers 22 and 24, respectively, and to the opposite sides of chute 42.The chute is preferably constructed of sheet metal and is adapted torestrain the poultry as they are lifted on the conveyor 40.

In order to assist in loading the birds on main conveyor 40, anextension 60 is provided at the lower entrance end 44. This extensionconsists of a conveyor belt 62 trained on rollers 64 and 66, which inturn are supported by a generally rectangular frame 68. The conveyorbelt 62 is driven by motor 54 through a sprocket and chain assembly 70.The tension on the belt is adjusted by adjustment means 72 and 74 atopposite ends of frame 68 on both sides of the extension frame.

The conveyor is provided with an extendable and retractable extensionsection 80, consisting of a reciprocable frame 82 having side membersfor supporting the outer end of the belt 50. Articulated frame members84 and 86 support a plurality of rollers 88 and an end roller 90 onwhich the belt is trained. The lower side of the belt is trained overroller 92 and around rollers 94, 96, 98, and 100, roller 94 being drivenby a hydraulic motor 102 which drives the entire main belt assembly. Thearticulated members 84 and 86 are adapted to slide inwardly andoutwardly along tracks 104 and 106 to various positions as illustratedin FIGS. 6 and 7. The details of construction of the articulated membersare illustrated in FIGS. through 13, the two members being connected atjoints 110 by cross bars 112. The sections of the articulated sidemembers are pivoted relative to one another at the joints, one sideelement 114 being secured rigidly to a block 1 16 at one end, and at theother end pivotedly connected to cross bar 112 by a sleeve 118 to whichthe element is rigidly secured by welding. The movement of the elementin the joint is restrained by a stop 120 secured to the upper side ofthe element and abutting against block 116 when two elements 114 are inalignment with each other, as illustrated in FlGS. 12 and 13. When thearticulated members move inwardly along tracks 104 and 106, the sectionsof the articulated members move angularly with respect to one another asillustrated in FIG. 7, thus permitting the main belt to move smoothlyalong the bottom of chute 42. The main belt is trained on end roller 122and is doubled back upon itself over drive roller 94, the doubled backportion extending and contracting as the extension 80 is moved inwardlyand outwardly in the compartment or coop C.

An extension 130 of the chute is'provided. over the extension 80 inorder to retain the birds in a generally squatting position as they movefrom the main chute along extension 80 into the compartment. The chuteextension 130 is moved generally horizontally corresponding in positionto the extended position of extension section 80. Extension section 80is extended and retracted by a hydraulic motor 150 through chain andsprocket assembly 152 and a sprocket 154 meshing with a chain 156 on theunder side of the side members of frame 82. The inner end of frame 82 issupported by gears 158 and 159 mounted on the lower part of the leverassembly indicated generally by numeral 160.

The lever assembly includes a member 162 pivotedly attached to chute 42and a double lever 164 on each side, the upper end of which is pivotedto the upper end of lever 165 and the lower end of which is pivoted tothe side of chute 42. A hydraulic cylinder 166 is connected by pistonrod 168 to levers 164 for raising and lowering support gears 158 and159. Movement of the piston in the right hand direction as shown in FIG.4 results in raising the gears 158 and 159, thereby tilting frame 82forwardly, i.e. to normally maintain the frame in a horizontal positionas the forward end of the conveyor chute is raised.

The chute 42 and conveyor belt 50 and the extension 80 are raised bodilyby a pair of hydraulic cylinders 170 and 172 through piston rods 174 and176, respectively, the upper ends of each piston rod being connected tothe bottom of the chute assembly by a cable 178 trained over a pulley180 and connected to abar 182 rigidly secured to the under side of thechute assembly. The long end of the cable is rigidly connected by an eye184 to the respective frame members 22 and 24.

The apparatus can most effectively be operated and the turkeys or otherpoultry directed to the proper place from stands or stations 190 and 192on opposite sides of extension 80, each stand consisting of a platform194 supported by downwardly extending frame members 196 and 198 attachedto the upper end of the frame supporting the chute. A guard rail 200 isprovided above each platform and is rigidly secured to members 196 and198. Extension section moves relative to the two stations so that thestations can be placed in close proximity to the compartments to befilled, and the extension 80 operated independently of the stations. Thehydraulic motors and cylinders are operated by any suitable hydraulicsystem, not shown in detail, from operating control levers mounted on ornear station 192, the control lever system being shown merelyschematically at numeral 210. The two stations and extension aresupported by and movable longitudinally relative to frame 82 and areconstantly urged toward, and preferably against, the front of the coopor compartment by a spring and frame assembly 211. Thus, the operatorcan stand at station 192 in close proximity to the coop and effectivelycontrol and direct the complete loading operation.

Since the apparatus is transportable, a draw bar or hitch 212 isconnected to angularly extending frame members 214 and 216, which inturn are connected to frame members 22 and 24. The conveyor 40 islowered by cylinders and 172 for transporting the loader, as viewed inFIG. 3, and raised by the cylinders for the loading position asillustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. After the unit has been set up foroperation, one or more stabilizing jacks 218 and 220 are used preferablyalong the front portion of the frame, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 through5.

In the operation of the poultry loading apparatus, the apparatus is' setup in operating position in the manner illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2, 6 and7, positioned at right angles to the side of the truck being loaded, thetruck normally containing horizontal and vertical rows of compartmentson both sides of the bed with the doors of the compartments facingoutwardly. With the forward end of chute 42 and extension section 80 inthe raised position, supported by hydraulic cylinders 170 and 172, andwith the extension section 80 projecting into the compartment to a pointnear the rear side thereof, as illustrated in FIG. 6, hydraulic motor 54is placed in operation, thus driving conveyor belts 50 and 62. With thebelts in operation, and the extension 80 in position in thecompartments, turkeys or other poultry are placed on conveyor section 60at entrance 44 and are carried by belt 50 through chute 42 ontoextension 80 and thence into compartments C near the rear end thereof.As the turkeys are discharged at the rear end of the compartment, theoperator gradually withdraws the extension from the compartment by theoperation of motor 150, thus delivering the turkeys to the back portionof the compartment and continually outwardly as the turkeys aredelivered to the compartment. As the frame 82 is retracted, thearticulated support members 84 and 86 follow tracks 104 and 106downwardly along the edges of the main conveyor belt, thereby alwaysmaintaining a smooth movement of the conveyor belt from the chute ontoextension 80. The movement of the articulated members is made possibleby the joint between members 114 as seen in FIGS. 12 and 13.

when the extension is to be projected into a compartment, thearticulated support members move outwardly from tracks 104 and 106 alongthe frame members 82 on opposite sides of extension 80 to place theforward end of the extension at any desired location in the compartment.The retracting operation is controlled by the operator on station H2 bythe operation of hydraulic motor 150 through chain and sprocket assembly152 and chain 156 on the under side of frame 82 of the extensionsection. As the compartment approaches its full complement of turkeys,the outer end of extension 80 is positioned near the entrance of thecompartment.

When the compartment is completely filled, the extension is fullywithdrawn and the door of the compartment closed. Assuming that the nextcompartment to be filled is directly above the filled compartment,hydraulic cylinders 170 and 172 are operated to lift the forward end ofthe chute to a position where the forward end of extension 80 is inposition to extend inwardly into the empty compartment. The extension isthen leveled by the operation of cylinder 166, which raises supportinggears 158 and 159 on lever assembly 160. The adjacent verticle tiers arereached for loading normally by moving the truck on which thecompartments are loaded forwardly or rearwardly. After the loadingoperation has been completed and the apparatus is to be moved or stored,section 80 is retracted inwardly and section 60 is folded upwardly asillustrated in FIG. 3, thus placing the apparatus in a compact positionfor being towed using hitch 212, after the stabilizing jacks 218 and 220have been retracted from the ground.

While only one embodiment of the present poultry loading apparatus hasbeen described in detail herein, various changes and modifications maybe made without departing from the scope of the invention.

We claim:

1. An apparatus for loading poultry into a compartment or coop having aside door, comprising a main belt conveyor section having a poultryreceiving end and discharge end, and a telescopic belt conveyor sectionextensible and retractable on at least two planes different from theplane of said main conveyor section and extending forwardly from thedischarge end of said main conveyor section for delivering the poultryto the rear of the compartment or coop and then progressively outwardlytoward said door as the compartment or coop is filled with poultry, andmeans for tilting portions of said second mentioned conveyor sectionangularly about a transverse horizontal axis-relative to said mainconveyor section.

2. An apparatus for loading poultry as defined in claim 1 in which amain frame supports said main conveyor section and a reciprocable framemounted on said main frame supports said extension section and beingtiltable angularly with respect to said first mentioned frame.

3. An apparatus for loading poultry as defined in claim 1 in which saidmain and extensible conveyor sections include a single continuous beltfor both sections.

4. An apparatus for loading poultry as defined in claim 2 in which atrack means is provided along each side of said reciprocable frame, saidextensible and retractable belt conveyor section comprising anarticulated structure supporting said conveyor belt therein.

5. An apparatus for loading poultry as defined in claim 3 in which saidbelt is continuous and smooth between the two conveyor sections on theupper sides thereof and is folded upon itself on the under side topermit extension and retraction of the forward section while maintainingthe smooth conveyor upper surface.

6. An apparatus for loading poultry as defined in claim 2 in which apower means moves said extensible frame.

7. An apparatus for loading poultry as defined in claim 1 in which saidfirst mentioned conveyor section is enclosed in a chute-like structure,and a station is provided at the discharge end thereof for an operatorof the apparatus.

8. An apparatus for loading poultry as defined in claim 7 in which aconveyor section is provided at the receiving end of said main beltconveyor for delivering poultry to the entrance of the chute-likestructure.

9. In an apparatus for loading poultry into a compartment or coop havinga side door: a main frame, a telescopic belt conveyor mounted on saidframe and having a discharge end section extensible and retractable onat least two planes different from the plane of said main conveyorsection, means for extending said discharge section through said door tothe rear part of the compartment or coop for delivering poultry to therear of said compartment or coop and then progressively withdrawing saiddischarge section outwardly towards said door asthe compartment or coopis filled with poultry, and means for tilting portions of said dischargesection angularly about a transverse horizontal axis relative to saidmain conveyor section.

10. An apparatus for loading poultry as defined in claim 9 in which saidconveyor is of the continuous belt type, and has a continuous uppersurface and a lower surface folded upon itself for retracting andextending the discharge end section of the conveyor.

11. An apparatus for loading poultry as defined in claim 10 in which thedischarge end section is movable angularly on the horizontal axis withrespect to the remainder of the conveyor.

12. In an apparatus for loading poultry into a compartment or coophaving a side door: a main frame, a conveyor mounted on said main framefor extending to a point near the side door of the compartment or coop,a station for controlling the apparatus, a frame supporting saidstation, and means for independent-1y moving said frame, said framebeing movable relative to said conveyor toward and away from thecompartment or coop for positioning said station adjacent to the sidedoor during the poultry loading operation.

13. An apparatus as defined in claim 12 in which said independent movingmeans is connected to said main frame.

1. An apparatus for loading poultry into a compartment or coop having a side door, comprising a main belt conveyor section having a poultry receiving end and discharge end, and a telescopic belt conveyor section extensible and retractable on at least two planes different from the plane of said main conveyor section and extending forwardly from the discharge end of said main conveyor section for delivering the poultry to the rear of the compartment or coop and then progressively outwardly toward said door as the compartment or coop is filled with poultry, and means for tilting portions of said second mentioned conveyor section angularly about a transverse horizontal axis relative to said main conveyor section.
 2. An apparatus for loading poultry as defined in claim 1 in which a main frame supports said main conveyor section and a reciprocable frame mounted on said main frame supports said extension section and being tiltable angularly with respect to said first mentioned frame.
 3. An apparatus for loading poultry as defined in claim 1 in which said main and extensible conveyor sections include a single continuous belt for both sections.
 4. An apparatus for loading poultry as defined in claim 2 in which a track means is provided along each side of said reciprocable frame, said extensible and retractable belt conveyor section comprising an articulated structure supporting said conveyor belt therein.
 5. An apparatus for loading poultry as defined in claim 3 in which said belt is continuous and smooth between the two conveyor sections on the upper sides thereof and is folded upon itself on the under side to permit extension and retraction of the forward section while maintaining the smooth conveyor upper surface.
 6. An apparatus for loading poultry as defined in claim 2 in which a power means moves said extensible frame.
 7. An apparatus for loading poultry as defined in claim 1 in which said first mentioned conveyor section is enclosed in a chute-like structure, and a station is provided at the discharge end thereof for an operator of the apparatus.
 8. An apparatus for loading poultry as defined in claim 7 in which a conveyor section is provided at the receiving end of said main belt conveyor for delivering poultry to the entrance of the chute-like structure.
 9. In an apparatus for loading poultry into a compartment or coop having a side door: a main frame, a telescopic belt conveyor mounted on said frame and having a discharge end section extensible and retractable on at least two planes different from the plane of said main conveyor section, means for extending said discharge section through said door to the rear part of tHe compartment or coop for delivering poultry to the rear of said compartment or coop and then progressively withdrawing said discharge section outwardly towards said door as the compartment or coop is filled with poultry, and means for tilting portions of said discharge section angularly about a transverse horizontal axis relative to said main conveyor section.
 10. An apparatus for loading poultry as defined in claim 9 in which said conveyor is of the continuous belt type, and has a continuous upper surface and a lower surface folded upon itself for retracting and extending the discharge end section of the conveyor.
 11. An apparatus for loading poultry as defined in claim 10 in which the discharge end section is movable angularly on the horizontal axis with respect to the remainder of the conveyor.
 12. In an apparatus for loading poultry into a compartment or coop having a side door: a main frame, a conveyor mounted on said main frame for extending to a point near the side door of the compartment or coop, a station for controlling the apparatus, a frame supporting said station, and means for independent-ly moving said frame, said frame being movable relative to said conveyor toward and away from the compartment or coop for positioning said station adjacent to the side door during the poultry loading operation.
 13. An apparatus as defined in claim 12 in which said independent moving means is connected to said main frame. 